Multi-Family Moratorium Petition Submitted

On Friday, March 4, 2022, a citizen’s petition was submitted to the Town of Millbury’s Town Clerk to “Enact A Building Moratorium On Multi-Family Dwellings”.

The general purpose is to simply press "pause" while the Town of Millbury upgrades all of its regulatory requirements to properly address responsible and harmonious development of multi-family dwellings, such as the Millbury Zoning Bylaws and Subdivision Rules and Regulations with a focus on three-family, apartments, and condominiums to have more detailed special permit and site plan criteria and required findings. Town Counsel noted that our regulations are "lacking in clarity."

Multi-families do have an important role in Millbury, diversifying our housing stock, and should be an asset and compliment to our existing neighbors rather than devastate existing neighborhoods under the promise of more tax revenues, which may or may not actually be realized. We need to grow responsibly and in a sustainable manner, otherwise we are just creating more problems for ourselves. This is all about doing it right and continuing to evolve and adapt over time.

Petition Reads

To see if the Town will vote to: enact a building moratorium on multi-family dwellings, specifically:

1. That no new building permits shall be issued for the construction of multi-family dwellings consisting of three or more dwelling units in any zoning district in Town.
2. Further, that the Town conduct a comprehensive study to determine the impact of said construction on: municipal services, public schools, emergency public safety resources including police and fire departments, sewer, roadway infrastructures, motor vehicle traffic and a plan for additional source of drinking water as well as the environmental impact of such construction. This includes the relation of the timing of residential development to the Town's ability to pay under the financial limitations of Proposition 2 1/2.
3. Further, that the Town update its Housing Production Plan, Zoning Bylaws, Subdivision Rules and Regulations, and create specific zoning regulations for multi-family, condominiums, and apartments with more detailed special permit and site plan criteria and required findings.
4. This provision shall expire June 30, 2023.

The Millbury Town Clerk is verifying the required 10 registered voter signatures now, then the citizen’s petition will work its way through the process to Town Meeting on May 3, 2022. It is important that the neighborhood and town's people support this citizen's petition so that the Town of Millbury can be prepared to welcome multi-family developments in a responsible and harmonious manner on July 1, 2023.